Wednesday night, the OKC Thunder managed to even up their best-of-seven semifinal series against the Denver Nuggets at 1-1 via a history-setting blowout win.
Following the contest, superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander admitted that his team played with a sense of desperation to avoid going down 0-2 before heading on the road for two straight games, remarks that have since gained serious notoriety.
Now, while fans and pundits may be linking these comments to the club's desire to avoid falling into a similar hole to the ones the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics both find themselves in out in the Eastern Conference, when it comes to this Oklahoma City squad, this "desperate" mentality far transcends round two of the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
Best shot for Thunder to win championship is right now, not in the future
As things currently stand, the Thunder are viewed as the "It" team of the league, with many believing they are in a position to become the game's next great dynasty. Considering their ridiculous star power, elite rotational depth, and enviable collection of future draft assets, it's hard to argue against such a claim.
Of course, in order for them to officially enter into such a conversation, they'll need to first run the postseason gamut and take home the coveted Larry O'Brien Trophy.
2025 is shaping up to be Oklahoma City's best shot at doing so, and not just because of their top-seeded rank and favorable outlook from the odds-makers.
When looking at the entire league landscape, there appear to be several up-and-coming clubs who are on the cusp of establishing themselves as serious, long-lasting title threats.
In the Western Conference alone, five teams won 50 or more games in 2024-25, while nine wrapped with over 40.
Of this bunch, the Rockets (52-30), Lakers (50-32), Timberwolves (49-33), and Grizzlies (48-34) are all spearheaded by established All-Stars and, in some cases, legitimate superstars who are still in their mid-to-early 20s.
What's more concerning about the future state of the conference is that the Victor Wembanyama-led San Antonio Spurs, who fell short of this aforementioned threshold due, in large, to injuries, could realistically leapfrog all of these teams in between them and the top-seeded Thunder during this upcoming offseason if they find a way to play their cards right and strike on a few splashy moves.
Add all this to the fact that the Thunder's payroll is slated to increase considerably over the next few years with the upcoming extensions of Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, and Gilgeous-Alexander, which, as a result, will make maintaining their dominant supporting cast all the more challenging, and it only strengthens the notion that the easiest path to a title may very well be the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
So while Oklahoma City was certainly desperate to win Wednesday's game to avoid an 0-2 series deficit, such distress should also be influenced by the under-the-radar fact that, should they fall short of a championship this season, their odds of doing so over the years to come should only be expected to decline.